An excellent source of genealogical information for researchers of the Guy Meek family is a book written by Melton P Meek, Vol 2, Guy Meek Family, Descendants. It was digitized by Brigham Young University and is available on their website.

On page 569 of the book, I found a letter written in 1983 by Joe Thomas Meek to Melton P Meek, providing Melton Meek - and me - with some more insight into my Meek family, particularly what appears to be the the complete and total estrangement of my great-great grandparents, James Alexander Meek and Mary Emily Conner, after their divorce in 1871.

LETTER FROM JOE THOMAS MEEK, CORRESPONDENT, 4 Dec 1983.

That is in America. We found the old grave of SAMUEL MEEK,brother to ALEXANDER (Samuel, forebear of Dr. Rider). Wewent to Alexander's grave and found a cow scratching on theItalian marble stone and raked a hundred years & more debrisfrom the old stones.

We found the graves of old JEFFERSON J. and HETTIE at oldSardis (MS) and that of GREAT Grandfather JAMES at Oxford (MS).

None of the family ever saw old JAMES after 1868, when heand great grandmother parted.

None of the family can ever be named JAMES or ALEXANDERagain, as my grandfather promised. An old lady at Oxfordgave us his picture, a little old man with the other old soldiers in front of the old CourtHouse at Oxford in 1911.I had it put in a nice frame to hang in my father's roombesides his favorite picture of his old grandmother, but hewould not have it. The Irish have long, long memories andnever forget any wrong, however remote.

Now I am the last of my family, glad to have come and unafraidto go, but no one remains to carry on this history,this tradition.

So, Dr. Meek, if you like it, here's several pages writtenon a dull, wintry day to add to your collection. Shakespearesaid "What assurance against the ravages of time except tobreed". Another famous writer one commented "I wrote it allso that I wouldn't utterly perish." And so will I, if youwill put it in the ringed notebooks and add it to your 30feet of shelving.

Now for a good meal, and a long winter's nap.

Yours Truly, Joe T. Meek

...glad to have come and unafraid to go...

Would that we all felt that way.

Joe Thomas Meek was born 5 Oct 1928 in Pope Co., AR, and died there in 1987.